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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27447007">Don't Leave My Side</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/swiftishere/pseuds/swiftishere'>swiftishere</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>MSA One-Shots [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mystery Skulls Animated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, and some very panicky improvised medicine, because where else could you start a nobody dies au lol, caveat to the warnings: you don't actually see the violence just the aftermath, diverges at the cave incident</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:35:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,483</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27447007</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/swiftishere/pseuds/swiftishere</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Mystery Skulls Paranormal Investigators pick up a case in a beautiful, haunting (and potentially haunted, of course!) emerald cave. They were initially planning to split up, to cover more ground at the same time, but for some reason their mascot refuses to let them. So the investigation continues with everyone together. </p><p>Mystery is, ultimately, a failure, but at least he prevents one death tonight.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arthur &amp; Lewis &amp; Vivi (Mystery Skulls Animated), Arthur &amp; Lewis (Mystery Skulls Animated)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>MSA One-Shots [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1440190</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>164</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Don't Leave My Side</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p></p><div>
  <p>A lone van rolls along a deserted highway, faint music playing from within. The four people inside - well, three people, one dog - are talking and laughing quietly as they travel. Lewis is driving, which is rare, and Vivi continues to rib him on his performance, in between regaling everyone with stories of the place they're going to visit.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>The cave, according to her, has a storied history - it was once a mine, way back when, but the entire thing was shut down and condemned without warning or explanation after only a year of operation. A while later, it was reopened for tours, the main draw being the strangely monochromatic color of the rocks, and the way the fog - produced by underground lakes deeper in - took on the same unnatural hue from reflections. It got decently popular, and then there was a string of disappearances, culminating with one of the tour guides vanishing, and the place was closed once more.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>The stories aren't helping Arthur's mood. He's draped over the backseat, ostensibly listening, but really trying as hard as possible to tune her out while she goes on about unsolved missing-person cases in the area and alleged noises in the night. His current theory, which he hasn't yet voiced, is that the cave is just some animal's den and everyone keeps aggravating it. That only makes him <em>less</em> inclined to go in, because at least Vivi sort of knows how to deal with spirits. They don't exactly have a defense against "angry bear."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Leaving him no time to actually say anything, the van pulls to a stop on a little dirt shoulder, right in front of the cave. The entrance is huge, three holes in the rock that almost form a face, if you squint. Fog rolls out of the lowest opening, turned a sickly green by the reflections of the rock around it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vivi's the first one up, grabbing her flashlight and springing out of the car while the other two are still getting up. "Oh my <em>gosh</em>, it's even better than in the pictures! Are you guys seeing this?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yeah, it's, ah, it's definitely something," Lewis says, sounding more awed than enthused. Arthur just sighs and shoves some of their smaller equipment into Vivi's hands.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Here's your shit, now can we get th-th-this over with?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>She passes a couple of the monitoring devices off to Lewis immediately. "Oh <em>yeah</em>, let's go!" And she starts bounding towards the entrance, but Lewis's voice stops her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Wait. Arthur- where's my torch?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Oh- I forgot, s-sorry." Some of his sour mood breaks, and he offers him a grin with a small, breathy chuckle. "Th-theater dork, bringing a <em>literal torch</em> to an invest- an investigation."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It's not- they just give better light than a flashlight! You get more ambient lighting! <em>Arthur!"</em> He pretends to be scandalized, but he's laughing along with him when Arthur hands him the torch.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vivi's bouncing on her heels. "<em>Now</em> are you two nerds done?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yeah, yeah, let's g-go."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>She stops them again right in front of the entrance, spinning around and clapping her hands like a particularly enthusiastic tour guide. "Okay! So, according to the old ads, the cave splits in two a little ways in- they ran tours through both parts, but all the mining happened on the lower one. Um, and both parts have seen some paranormal activity at different points in time, so we're going to split up and observe both simultaneously! They connect again further in, so we won't really be that separated. Lewis, you and Arthur can go together, and me and Mystery will-"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"We're all staying together," Mystery's voice suddenly cuts in, easily silencing her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vivi and Lewis both turn to look, and if Arthur isn't imagining things, he swears he can see a hint of... hurt in Lewis's eyes. "But-" Vivi tries to start.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"No buts. We go as a group or we turn around and leave."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"O- okay, I guess...?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I, uh... I do k-kinda prefer when we all st-stick together," Arthur says, rubbing the back of his neck.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Lewis looks at Mystery again, and now Arthur is <em>sure</em> he's not imagining the look he's giving him, confused and a little betrayed. But eventually he sighs. "If that's what everyone else wants, then..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Arthur barely notices the sharply angled toothy spikes on the cave mouth, he's so busy pondering why Lewis wanted to go alone with him so badly. He's not sure whether to be flattered or worried.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Someone picks up his hand, and he looks up in surprise to see Lewis smiling hopefully down at him. Were his thoughts that obvious?</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Um- was- was there s-something..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Lewis glances ahead of them at the path. The fork is coming up, both dark tunnels eating up the beam of Vivi's flashlight. "Y'know what? It can wait until we get home."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Normally he'd be panicking about the ambiguity of that statement, but with how gentle Lewis's voice is and the fact that they're still holding hands, he somehow isn't too worried about it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"So, left first?" Vivi says, oblivious.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Left is always right..." he murmurs in response, mostly to himself.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>The left path slopes upward, they find, the rock jagged and slick beneath their feet and hazardous in the dark. Vivi keeps her flashlight trained downwards. Mystery seems particularly on-edge, as much as he ever does with anything, looking around with his ears pinned back against his head.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>The walls around them get narrower and narrower, until they finally open up into a wider cavern. It'd be beautiful if it was better lit, and it's easy to see why this was briefly a tourist attraction - the walls, a strange deep green, shine in the torchlight and the stalactites are flecked with dots of bright emerald. Vivi's eyes pick the ledge out first, and she can't help but lean out over the edge just a bit, trying to see how far down it goes. A story at least, her flashlight dies before it reaches the bottom. What's down there, in that huge dark cavern?</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>And then the smell reaches her - rancid and rotten, like something crawled into the rock below her and died - and she recoils, scrunching up her nose.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Okay. I don't see anything <em>paranormal</em>, but there's definitely a dead thing down there," she announces to the rest of her team. Mystery responds with a brief, almost inaudible growl.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Is <em>this</em> where the tunnels connect?" Lewis says, coming up to look over the ledge next to her. Even his torch can't find the bottom. "It's... not an especially <em>practical</em> connection, is it? It doesn't look like there's any way down there besides..."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"O-okay-" they suddenly hear Arthur's voice from behind them, "-maybe you guys sh-should- uh- st-step away fr-from the ledge? It doesn't- uh- doesn't look s-s-super safe."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Lewis turns around, frowning. Arthur sounded a little more than just worried- and in the torchlight he can see that he looks... <em>terrified</em>, why is he so <em>afraid?</em> A concerned question is forming on his lips, when both of them hear a growl from beside them.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Mystery has his eyes locked on Arthur and his teeth bared. Arthur flinches back, raising his right arm protectively, but he doesn't let up.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Not <em>now</em>," they hear Mystery say, half frustrated and half desperate, "not <em>yet,</em> damnit- get <em>away!"</em></p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>And then both of them take off running the way they came, Arthur bolting and Mystery immediately giving chase.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>By this point Vivi's turned around at all the commotion behind her, and she and Lewis run after them without even thinking.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vivi's a bit faster, and she's ahead of Lewis- until she reaches the fork and tries to turn too fast, sending her sprawling on the ground. Lewis stops and kneels next to her to help her up.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Are you okay?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Yeah, fine-" she starts, and then they both hear a scream.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>It's followed immediately by a sound that’s less of a scream and more of a drawn-out, broken howl, and recognize both, with sinking horror, as belonging to Arthur.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"<em>Shit</em>," Vivi breathes. She grabs Lewis's arm and hauls herself to her feet, and then they both take off again.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>This tunnel stays a little wider than the upper one - probably widened by the miners, from what Vivi said - and the floor is smoother, making bolting down it quite a bit easier. When this path opens up, it's <em>huge</em>. The enormous cavern confirms their theory that is is where the two tunnels connect. Not that they have much time to think about that.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>They see Mystery first- except, it isn't Mystery, it's <em>huge</em> and has massive paws and too many tails and too many teeth and its muzzle is <em>coated</em> in blood, with still more splashed on the ground around its paws. There's a twitching green arm in its teeth.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Lewis notices the second part of the scene while Vivi's still busy staring at the monster, and if he could make any sound at all, he would scream. </p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Arthur is <em>dead</em>, is the first thought his brain spits out, and he doesn't even know if it's true but <em>god</em> does it sure look like it. His arm is <em>gone</em>, with torn skin and muscle draped around the wound and a rapidly spreading pool of blood beneath it, the jagged edges of the flesh painting a grisly picture of <em>how</em> exactly the beast did this. Four deep gashes form a bloody semicircle in his chest, a mirror of the monster's claws. The torn pieces of his vest are scattered around his left side, and his formerly white shirt is rapidly turning a deep, rich red.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Vivi notices the body, and somehow finds the air to scream while Lewis still feels like his chest is being crushed.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>The monster whines, lightly tossing the arm aside, and takes a step forward with its head bowed, lowering it towards Arthur. It slightly opens its mouth and then Vivi steps forward and punches it as hard as she can in the muzzle.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>It doesn't seem particularly hurt by that, more <em>surprised</em> than anything, but it still steps away. It gives her a sad, wide-eyed stare. Vivi, still in boxing position, turns her head only halfway to yell at Lewis.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Grab him! We need to get out of here!"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>He nods soundlessly. Somehow he finds the strength to move closer to the monster, kneeling and scooping up his friend as quickly as he can. His hand brushes the remains of his shoulder and his stomach lurches. It's so <em>slick</em>.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Now <em>run!"</em> Vivi shouts, and a tiny, distant part of Lewis marvels that she can find the presence of mind to do all of this. Most of him, though, is preoccupied with following her instructions.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>The two of them bolt out of the cave. He half-hears Mystery's voice behind them saying "Vivi, <em>wait</em>-" but neither of them stop. </p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>They break out of the cave into the warm air and starry sky above. Without discussion, Vivi clicks the back doors open for Lewis and then jumps in the driver's seat. And then everything is quiet. The engine rumbles quietly, somehow dulling the rushing in Lewis's ears.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Why- shouldn't we call an ambulance?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"We're out of cell range! And do you <em>really</em> want to- to wait around for it to get here?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>That's a hard <em>no</em>.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>He blinks, snapping himself back to reality, and starts to move instead of just staring at the still body in his lap. He digs through their stored-away junk for the bandages, and then just as quickly realizes that their small stock of them (running low ever since that factory incident, no less) isn't going to cut it for this one.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>Instead he fumbles with the buttons on his vest, fails to manage them with shaking fingers, and then gives up and just pulls the thing apart. The buttonholes aren't especially well made, so it's not difficult. And it's not like he's going to be able to wear this vest again anyway, not after what he's about to do to it.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>He grits his teeth, half bracing for a wave of pain that his rational mind knows <em>he's</em> not going to feel, and shoves the folded-up fabric against the tear in Arthur's shoulder. Pinning it to the ground with his knee, he then gets to work on wrapping it in bandages to hold it in place.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>They run out too fast. And he hasn't even <em>gotten</em> to the claws in his chest, and he's already started to bleed through the fabric on his shoulder <em>damnit</em>-</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Vivi, your scarf," he attempts to yell to the front seat, surprising himself with how quiet his voice is.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>She hears him anyway, and yanks it off and tosses it over to him. It's long, but too well-made to easily rip apart, so he wraps the whole thing around the shoulders and pulls it as tight as he can manage before tying it off. The mangled remains of Arthur's vest are still slung over his right arm, and those are pulled off and pressed haphazardly against the curved gashes in his chest. He realizes quickly that there's no way it's going to stay in place.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I don't suppose," he says shakily, "I could trouble you for your sweater, too?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"Jeez, really?" Vivi responds. She's trying to joke, inject some levity into the situation, but her voice breaks anyway.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"It- it's <em>bad</em>, Vivi."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>At that she goes quiet for a moment. "Yeah- give me a second." The car jostles as she pulls her sweater off, and then it gets tossed over the backseat as well.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>It isn't perfect, he can't get it quite as tight as it should be, but the arms of the sweater fit easily around his chest. He pulls their cooler out from its place under the shelf - that's the first time he notices that his hands are covered in blood, leaving behind smears of it on the formerly clean plastic, and he shudders - and props Arthur's legs up on it. And then there's nothing else he can do.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>For a while he just sits and stares at the weak, shaky rise and fall of Arthur's chest.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"How much farther?"</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I... I don't know. We're going as fast as we can."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>He leans over and slowly picks up Arthur's remaining hand. It's like ice, the skin drained of all color.</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>"I was going to tell you-" his voice breaks and he can't make it any farther into the sentence. He sniffs, realizing that his cheeks are wet. "Don't... don't die. Stay with us. Please."</p>
</div><div>
  <p> </p>
</div><div>
  <p>And then there's really nothing he can do besides wait. Lewis drops the hand he was holding, leaving dark red stains on the skin, and slumps back against the back doors of the van. The metal sways and shakes as they speed along the highway, and the rest of the world fades almost into nothingness.</p>
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